We get it: it’s a bold claim. But wouldn’t it be the dream?

A Form 8 is the piece of Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) documentation that unlocks access arrangements in exams for students in the UK who have access needs, but don’t have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

SENCos complete Form 8 to ensure that students with Special Educational Needs, disabilities and other learning differences receive a GCSE exam experience that’s inclusive and appropriate to their needs. It’s usually completed around the end of the student’s Year 9, then progresses through the JCQ Access Arrangements Online (AAO) platform for review and approval.

Form 8 unlocks JCQ access arrangements, such as:

⏰ Extra time (25%, or 26-50%, dependent on the scope of need)

💬 Language modifiers

✍ A scribe, to support students with writing needs

🕊️ Supervised rest breaks, when combined with other accommodations

🎧 A reader (or computer reader), to support students with reading needs

It’s those students with reading needs who we’ll be taking a closer look at today.

Wait. I’m not a teacher – what or who is the JCQ?

The Joint Council for Qualifications (commonly abbreviated to JCQ) is a membership organisation that represents the 8 largest qualification bodies in the UK. It includes AQA, CCEA, City & Guilds, NCFE, Edexcel, SQA, WJEC and OCR. Their role is to uphold national standards for fairness and inclusivity in exam-taking.

JCQ aren't a government body, but they play a vital role in standardizing exam administration and ensuring consistency across schools, making the examination process easier to administrate for both educators and students.

They publish regulatory guidance on delivering examinations, ensure that schools comply with national standards for exam-taking, and oversee the administration of exam accommodations for students who need them.

The problem with filling in a stack of Form 8s…

…is that you have to fill in a stack of Form 8s.

That’s a huge amount of hours to invest. SENCos are required to provide a detailed picture of each student's accommodation needs.

It’s a time- and labour-intensive process. There’s a lot to share: it’s a long-term statement that has to describe the difficulties they’ve had in accessing learning and a record of their academic performance, supplemented by evidence from assessments, information on support strategies, teacher and student observations and details on any language needs that are present.

In a best-case scenario, with an experienced SENCo, a relatively standard profile of reading needs and all the information needed in front of them, it can take around an hour to complete each Form 8. If the student’s needs are complex, around two hours. If there’s any information-chasing to be done, you may as well block out the week.

And when you’re dealing with a year group that has 40+ students in line for JCQ access arrangements for reading needs… say goodbye to your afternoons for the better part of a term.

There is another way – one that doesn’t increase the demand on SENCos.

Why are the current demands on school SENCos so high?

It’s not a new phenomenon. SEN support in schools has been over-subscribed and under-resourced for a long time, and we’re seeing little forward motion.

↪️ Workload is increasing: more learners than ever are seeking support for SEN

↪️Funding for SEN support in schools is tighter than ever

↪️ Schools are under-recruiting and making redundancies due to funding woes 

↪️SEN support professionals have some of the highest workloads

And it’s students and teachers who pay the price for these

kinds of broader sector pressures.

↪️ 74% of SENCos reported that they don’t have enough time to ensure SEN pupils are able to access the provision they need.

↪️ Only 26% of SENCos thought the role they were in was manageable for one person.

↪️ And 43% of primary SENCos and 71% of secondary SENCos are working 9+ extra hours a week to stay afloat.

Source: The NEU SENCo Workload Report

And the clock is always ticking… 

JCQ access arrangements in the form of a Form 8 have to be completed by a SENCo, except for the rare occasions they’re run through an access coordinator or specialist assessor. That means there’s little scope for delegation, or for exams officers and teaching assistants to support.

They come at one of the busiest times of year, too: the deadline for JCQ access arrangements falls in late March, when exam prep has already been underway for months, and teachers throughout the school are experiencing a significant pinch point in their bandwidth.

There has to be an easier way to ensure that students get all the reading support they need in order to thrive – one that doesn’t compromise SENCo bandwidth in such a dramatic way.

No Form 8s, no deadlines – no problem!

Let’s go back to that dream scenario for a moment: an exam season where every student has the power to read and understand the questions on the test paper without the year-long drain on bandwidth.

…With C-Pen Exam Reader 2, that’s a reality.

✅ Approved for use in exams by JCQ!

✅ Zero-storage, no need for Wi-Fi

✅ Dependable reading support without the cost of human readers

✅ No need for separate rooming

✅ No need for Form 8s – just establish as Normal Way of Working (NWoW)!

✅ Centre-delegated arrangement: provide support when you’re past the deadline!

Exam support on easy mode for students with reading needs

When they can read the questions stress-free, they can focus on the answers.

With C-Pen Exam Reader 2, it’s easy to unlock each and every student’s learning potential without getting lost in the paperwork. It’s approved for use in exams by JCQ, and it’s specially designed with no storage functionality or Wi-Fi connectivity so that it doesn’t compromise the integrity of the exam setting.

Students scan the words on the exam paper and listen to them through headphones in the exam hall. This eliminates the need for separate rooming, which reduces invigilation costs and the need for human readers. It also keeps it discreet, which reduces the feeling of being spotlighted or overly visible to their peers.

And it’s a lifesaver for SENCos too: with C-Pen Exam Reader 2, it doesn’t matter if you’re past the access arrangements deadline because it’s a centre-delegated access arrangement. That means no need for Form 8s, and a huge reduction in the amount of administration. All that matters is that a reading pen like C-Pen Exam Reader 2 (or its classroom counterparts, Reader 2 and Reader 3) has been established as a student’s Normal Way of Working – and they’re able to use it in an exam.

What about students who don’t have Special Educational Needs?

It’s not just students who have SEN or neurodivergent needs like dyslexia who can benefit from using a reading pen in exams.

In the wake of the pandemic, there are thousands of students in secondary classrooms all over the country whose reading progress is compromised, or whose reading confidence isn’t at an exam-ready level.

Some of these will be students with English as an Additional Language (EALs) who face a language and literacy barrier.

We know that the exam format turns up the pressure: timed reading, high stakes, and the feeling of being observed can all impact how students process set texts and questions, which can compromise grades in a big way.

But with C-Pen Exam Reader 2, students don’t need to have an identified Special Educational Need or neurodiversity to benefit. Any student can walk into an exam and read with confidence when a reading pen been established as their Normal Way of Working – so everyone who needs support can access it. 

Streamline access arrangements – Support SENCos – Save on invigilation and readers.

Discover how C-Pen Exam Reader 2 can transform exam support for your students and lighten your workload.

Claim your FREE 30-day trial today and see the difference it makes!

Have questions or need tailored advice? Our friendly team of reading support experts is here to help find the perfect solution for your Trust, school, or classroom needs.

📧 Email us: ukinfo@scanningpens.com

☎️ Call us: +44 (0) 207 976 4910